Senate and House leaders have reached agreement on a thorny labor issue, clearing the way for a final deal on a multiyear Federal Aviation Administration authorization, which is more than four years overdue.
FAA programs, including the agency's airport construction grants, have been operating under a long series of stopgap measures since September 2007, when the last long-term aviation bill expired. The latest stopgap, the 22rd in that series, lapses on Jan. 31.